I've recently moved into a new house and have already suffered power outages which means I have no water available as it's all pumped. I'm hoping to install a backup gravity feed system which swithes autiomatically so fo this I am looking for solenoid valves. Does anyone have any infomation about solenoid valves in Thailand and where I might purchase them?

Many thanks in advance if you can help.

Does anyone have any infomation about solenoid valves in Thailand and where I might purchase them?

in shops for irrigation systems, 24 volt supply. but for your purpose you need at least one "reverse action" solenoid that opens when there's no power and closes when there is. not easy to get (i think).

How about this.

Ball (float) valve in your gravity tank to keep it full when the power is on.

1-way (non-return) valve in the tank discharge line to stop it over filling via the outlet when the pump is on.

Another 1-way valve in the inlet pipe to stop your valuable water going back into the supply.

Something like this:-

Simple, cheap and completely automatic, and it needs no power

Simple, cheap and completely automatic, and it needs no power

where's the fun Crossy? no compliance with 17 norms of anglo-saxon-oz sparky guidelines. no wiring and calculating wiring diameters, wattage and amps. no RFCGFCIXMB 10 mA sensitivity protection switch. no proper earthing and no 24V transformer required.

He could run air pipes through the tank to cool the house!

and breed fish?

Put some plexiglass in the sides and he can watch the fish instead of TV.

then just add nekkid TGFs and the thread's done!

seriously, tho, no solenoids & electrical circuits should be necessary IMHO - maybe a hand-cranked pipe valve at bottom of gravity tank. Follow the water: power off, turn on faucet, if water level of backup tank is above said faucet, it will flow. More head height, more pressure. No electricity required. Many olden day systems would use windmills [pumps] to get water above the occupied spaces and then let gravity feed the system. On Earth, gravity never goes off-line, except in subatomic physics.

seriously, tho, no solenoids & electrical circuits should be necessary IMHO - maybe a hand-cranked pipe valve at bottom of gravity tank...

...which is cranked by a curvy nekkid girlfriend.

technical advice: the pipe should be installed in a loop going all the way down to the ground where the hand-cranked pipe valve is fixed and then up again to the house supply (the loop will neither reduce pressure nor flow!).

reason: the nekkid girlfriend has to bend over to hand-crank the valve

So, where do you get a hand crank valve driving by a nekked TGF? Oops, she's looking at my post so maybe I don't need one.

reason: the nekkid girlfriend has to bend over to hand-crank the valve

Just for clarification on how to construct, mind you, could you please provide pix of said assembly complete with nekkid TGF operator?

reason: the nekkid girlfriend has to bend over to hand-crank the valve

Just for clarification on how to construct, mind you, could you please provide pix of said assembly complete with nekkid TGF operator?

posting nekkid girls is against forum rules.

Crossy many thanks for your elegant solution. That will do exactly what I want providing there is sufficient head of water to operate the one-way valve in the forward direction.

To the other contributors, enjoy your fantasies!

Remove the lower 1 way valve from Crossy, along with that section of pipe.

Just use all your water from the tank. This is the way all houses in the UK are plumbed.

That way the water will always be fresh.

Remove the lower 1 way valve from Crossy, along with that section of pipe.

Just use all your water from the tank. This is the way all houses in the UK are plumbed.

That way the water will always be fresh.

And he will only have gravity pressure?

Remove the lower 1 way valve from Crossy, along with that section of pipe.

Just use all your water from the tank. This is the way all houses in the UK are plumbed.

That way the water will always be fresh.

And he will only have gravity pressure?

Only one of my homes in the UK was plumbed with loft (attic) cold water storage and that was the one built in 1899.

All the others had cold taps and electric showers direct off the rising main and a small header in the loft for the central heating and hot cylinder.

Remove the lower 1 way valve from Crossy, along with that section of pipe.

Just use all your water from the tank. This is the way all houses in the UK are plumbed.

That way the water will always be fresh.

And he will only have gravity pressure?

Correct.

20 foot of head should be sufficent to operate any callifonts.

reason: the nekkid girlfriend has to bend over to hand-crank the valve

Just for clarification on how to construct, mind you, could you please provide pix of said assembly complete with nekkid TGF operator?

Now now....Thai girls are not like German ones....No flip flops.

20 foot of head should be sufficent to operate any callifonts.

what the eff is a callifont?

20 foot of head should be sufficent to operate any callifonts.

what the eff is a callifont?

A water heater. (NZ)

20 foot of head should be sufficent to operate any callifonts.

what the eff is a callifont?

eff is the 6th letter in the alphabet. It is also likely that the eff contributes about 15% instantanious heat to the water passing through...

20 foot of head should be sufficent to operate any callifonts.

what the eff is a callifont?

'On demand' water heater, usually gas fueled.

20 foot of head should be sufficent to operate any callifonts.

what the eff is a callifont?

A water heater. (NZ)

20 foot head = ~0.6bar = ~8.8 psi might operate a "callifont" but would drive me crazy when taking a shower.